Thick and Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Preheat the oven to 350°F . Place the rack in the center.

In a stand mixer, cream the sugars and peanut butter for 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl.

Crack in the egg, and then add vanilla and baking soda. Mix on low another 2 minutes.

Add the baking powder and flour. Mix well, scraping the bowl a couple of times.

Add the liquid margarine or melted butter while mixing on low to bring the dough to a soft cookie dough texture.

Stir in chocolate chips, if using.

The dough will not look like most cookie dough. It will be kind of greasy looking and will fall apart easily. Just squeeze it together into tablespoon-sized balls. Place them on an ungreased baking sheet and press a criss-cross pattern on the tops with a fork.

Bake 7-10 minutes until the edges are set but the centers are still soft. Cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to cooling racks. Best when fresh!